Genetically engineered mesenchymal stem cells: Applications in spine therapy

Hadi Aslan, Dima Sheyn, Dan Gazit*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Spine disorders and intervertebral disc degeneration are considered the main causes for the clinical condition commonly known as back pain. Spinal fusion by implanting autologous bone to produce bony bridging between the two vertebrae fianking the degenerated-intervertebral disc is currently the most efficient treatment for relieving the symptoms of back pain. However, donor-site morbidity, complications and the long healing time limit the success of this approach. Novel developments undertaken by regenerative medicine might bring more efficient and available treatments. Here we discuss the pros and cons of utilizing genetically engineered mesenchymal stem cells for inducing spinal fusion. The combination of the stem cells, gene and carrier are crucial elements for achieving optimal spinal fusion in both small and large animal models, which hopefully will lead to the development of clinical applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)99-108
Number of pages10
JournalRegenerative Medicine
Volume4
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2009

Keywords

  • Back pain
  • Bone morphogenetic proteins
  • Gene therapy
  • Intervertebral disc
  • Mesenchymal stem cells
  • Spinal fusion

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